Today I attended the first day of a four-day Writing and Study Skills at Wintec. (I found out about it by obsessively clicking on all the links on the Wintec website in anticipation for starting a Bachelor of Counselling!)
I was hemming and hawing about whether to sign up. I wasn’t sure what would be covered. Someone suggested that it might be ‘too basic’ for me. That comment unintentionally solidified my decision to sign up.
Why?
I try to approach life from the mindset of a master craftsman (to borrow from Cal Newport. That means I believe that I must relentlessly brush up on my skills and continue to improve on them. Part of that process is perfecting (or at least trying to improve upon) my skills as well as the fundamentals thereof.
As someone with nearly a decade in the public sector in a variety of challenging roles, it can be argued that brushing up on time management, vocabulary development or basic tech skills is ‘too basic’. Sure, I can take that approach.
On the other hand, I can approach these topics (and many others) with humility. What could I learn? What can I re-learn? What might have I forgotten? What could I share that will help someone else on their journey? What might someone share that I’ve never heard before?
I am delighted that I signed up for this course and showed up. While a lot of the material was very familiar to me, I also got to reinforce ideas that I had forgotten, practice concepts that you rarely get the opportunity to get feedback on, as well as adopt a learner’s or beginner’s mindset. I also got to experience the manaaki from Wintec’s Academic Support team, and I am thoroughly impressed thus far.
If prima ballerinas practice their plies at the height of their career… If master violinists practice their scales… If top tennis players practice their serves…
Then knowledge workers cannot be above practicing the fundamentals.
Basic isn’t too basic. The basics are the foundation upon which your skills rely on. So we need to get it right.
That’s how I see it anyway! Looking forward to the rest of the course (and to finally starting on my new adventure!!!)
Ngā mihi, Pat Oyson-Matthan